Yes, William Penn Has Living Descendants

Yes, William Penn Has Living Descendants

I've been up half the night reading where everyone has come to the conclusion that William Penn, The Founder, has no direct descendants, how was John Penn (who signed the Declaration of Independence) related to him?, that there are too many Penns for them all to be related, and so on. Well, I happen to have some very nice news for everyone :-) But I won't tell you everything because I promised my mother that I wouldn't, OK? Here we go...

William Penn, "The Founder", was born on October 14, 1644 in London, England, the son of Sir William and Margaret (Jasper) Penn. He married first to Gulielma Springett on April 4, 1672 at Kings Charitywood, Herts., daughter of Sir William Springett and Mary, daughter of Sir John Proude, Knight. Gulielma (Springett) Penn died in 1693 and is buried at Jourdan's Meeting House near Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, England. Children of William and Gulielma Penn:

{This William, Jr. married Mary Jones in 1698. After their marriage, his father gave to them his former home, Worminghurst. In 1703, William, Jr. (son) was sent to Pennsylvania to act as Proprietor. In 1706 he went to France and etc., leaving his young wife, who returned back to England. From the family of William and Mary, the Penns are now represented by the Gaskells and Halls in Shangary, Ireland.} OK, now back to William the Founder. His beloved wife, Gulielma died in 1693 and he remarried to Hannah Callowhill in 1695. She was the daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Hollister) Callowhill. They were married at Friers Meeting House and many people came to the wedding. William and Hannah came to America in 1699. The children of William, Sr. and his second wife, Hannah are:

8. John- 1700 (never married~only one of William's children to be born in America)9. Thomas- 1701/2 (married Lady Juliana Fernor. They produced 8 children, but only one son married and had children, that was Granville Penn. Granville (1761-1844) married Isabella Forbes. Granville & Isabella produced 4 sons; John (died as an infant), Granville (1802-1867), never married, Rev. Thomas, (1803-1869), never married, and William, (1811-1848), never married. According to the Pennsylvania Historical Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the male lineage line of William Penn, The Founder, ended with Rev. Thomas Penn's death in 1869. Naturally, I beg to differ...

10. Hannah- 170311. Margaret- 1704 (married Thomas Freame)12. Richard- 1706-1771. He shared proprietorship of Pennsylvania with his brothers, John and Thomas. He married Hannah Lardner. Their children: John, Hannah, Richard and William, all leaving no issue.13. Dennis- 1707-172214. Hannah

William Penn, The Founder, died on May 30, 1718, Hannah passed away on June 20, 1726. Both are buried at Jourdens, Upperside Mo. M.

Many, many years ago, my grandmother and some of her cousins began to ponder this Penn question. Their grandparents and even great-grandparents had always told them they were descended from William Penn, the Founder of Pennsylvania. They assumed it to be true until someone who was working for a Pennsylvania Historical Society told them that it was impossible. Impossible to not be the owner of your surname? That certainly didn't sound right. So they began working in earnest, they left no stone unturned. They uncovered treasures they could prove left and right! But they were somewhat irritated about this name-calling (or lack of it, in this case) that had transpired and vowed to never tell the Pennsylvanians what they had discovered. And that's why I can't tell you everything. And though I can't tell you, I can sure point you in the right direction ;-) I will say this much, William The Founder had a son named Edward, who was born in 1705. That's the person I am descended from. Check church records (Quaker Churches especially), ship logs, censuses, etc. And don't forget that William Penn produced quite a few young ladies who went on to marry and their descendants are also the descendants of William The Founder. I'm getting a little tired from typing right now, but I'll do an article on John Penn, the signer of the Declaration of Independence as soon as possible. Good Luck!